1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains in general to software rights management and in particular to deploying and managing software using virtualization.
2. Description of the Related Art
Software providers often desire to distribute software with limited rights to users. Examples of this include shareware, subscription-based software, and pay-per-use software. For example, a shareware version of a software product may be provided to a user free of charge for a limited time, such as 30 days. After the limited time has expired, the software should cease to function if the user does not purchase the software. Pay-per-use software may involve a user paying a fee each time the user executes the software, for example. Subscription-based software may involve a monthly or annual fee for use.
Usually, the software provider needs to handle the details of implementing the use limitations of the software. For example, the software provider may need to include code for disabling the software and presenting a purchase screen when a trial period ends. This requires additional development effort by the software provider. In some cases, the techniques used by the software provider for limiting use can be circumvented by users (e.g., a user modifies configuration files or registry settings associated with the software). In addition to implementing use limitations, the software developer may desire to track the use of its limited rights software.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a way to provide software with limited rights to users that is convenient and effective for software developers and to track the use of this limited rights software.